Fountain pen



March 19, 1935. e. H. OSTERHOUT FOUNTAIN PEN Filed July 2; i954 N, z M \\\M (Ittornegs.

Patented Mar. 19, 1935 UNITED STAT Es 1,995,218 FOUNTAIN PEN George Howard Osterliout, United States Marine V Corps, Farris Island, S. 6.

Application.- July 2, 1934, Serial No. 133,502.:

2- Claims.

' The present. invention relates to improvements in fountain pens", and relates to' certain improve-- ments over my. prior similarly entitled Patent No. 1,647,882, granted November1,.1=927.

it is an object of the: present invention to provide a device for manipulating the rubber bulb or nipple in the prior patent, thereby dispensing: with the need of removing; the. cap and squeezing the nipple with the fingers.

The invention has for a further object the pro-- duction of a simple form of operating mechanism. for the nipple in which the: parts are few and reliable in operation.

With the foregoing: and other objects in view, the invention will be more: fully described hereinafter,. and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto..

In the drawing, wherein like symbolsrefer to like or corresponding parts throughout the sev-- eral views,

Figure. 1 is a side elevation, with parts brokenv away and parts. shown in section, of. an improved fountain pen constructed accordingt'o the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section taken on an enlarged. scale and. showing the parts in locked position. 7

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the plunger and nipple in expanded position.

Figure 4 isa cross section taken. on. the line 4-4 in Figure 2.

Figure 5'is a similar view taken on the line 5-5 also in Figure 2.

Figure 6 is also a cross section takenon': the line 6-6 in. Figure 2..

Figure 7' is a perspective view of the spring.

Figure 8 is a similar view of the plunger, and

Figure 9 is a cross sectional detail o-fa modified. formof plunger.

Referring more particularly to. the drawing, 8 designates the barrel: of the pen is open at. one end and internally threaded to receive the plug 9 containing the pen nib and point 10. The nib and point are provided with the ink. openingv 11 and passage 12, such passage extending through the plug 9' and in communication with the interior ink space of the barrelB. The plug is shouldered at'l3' to take against the end. wall of the barrel 8, and. threads 1.41 may be provided upon the exterior wall of the barrel 8 to receive complementary threads upon a cap (not shown, but illustrated at 15 in my prior patent aforesaid) usually employed for housing and protecting the pen point.

The plug or nib is further provided with a passage 16 opening downwardlyto the atmosphere and upwardly into: the tube 17 which-extends up through the barrel 8 and through the upper closed end 18 of said barrel; The upper end. of the-tube 1'? is in communication with the interior space of the rubber orother bulb or nipple: 19; This. nipple may be. of appropriate. size and shape and has its. rim portion stretched or expanded acrossthe shouldered upper portion. 20 of the barrel. end 18'. The tube 17 is bent at right angles at its upper end" and has its terminal end 21. disposed downwardly within. a valve chamber 22 which opensv upwardly .rreely into the interiorspace of thebu1b19.

In the valve chamber is a. ball'or pellet valve 23 adapted to.=.vibrate' between-the open end of the tube terminal 21 anda seat 24 formed at the bottom ofthe cavity or chamber 22.. A port 25 leads from the: cavity 22 downwardly past. the seat 245 into .theinterior ink space of the barrel 8.:

The foregoing. construction is that substantially illustrated and described in my prior patent aforesaid, except that the; illustrationv in the presentv case departsxmore or; less from the: patent illustration in the matter of proportions and: sizes of parts and particularly. the shape and size of the bulb or nipple 19-. Such shape. and size of the nipple,. as herein "illustrated, are arranged to cooperate to a higher. degree with the manipulating mechanism now. to be described...

The end wal1s18 of the barrel8i is provided with a a second shouldered. portion.26 stepped? to wider diameter than the nipple receiving shouldered portion 20... Suchshoulderedportion 26 isadapted to snugly receive thereon the. rim portion of a protecting cap. 27; which houses the bulb or'nip'ple 19, and also contains" the operating mechanisrnl I which consists in part of a fiat or leaf spring 28.

I Suchspring may be of the substantial shape illus-' trated in Figure'l, being" provided; witha slightly crimped portion .50 at itsupper'end; with the leaf of. the spring slightly curved inwardly when operating position; The cri'mped part 50 forms a fulcrum for engaging againstthe wall of the opening. 36 as shown in-Figure. 3.

1 This spring. is of extreme thinness, of "noncorrosive composition, and ofgreat flexibility, completely free at both ends; and by'its nature and shape retains itself in place by pressure, the inner or lower end engaging inthe circular groove 33 and the upper orimped end of this spring 31 resting within a recess in the bottom of a plunger 32. The foot is adapted to rest within the annular groove or boot 33.formed in the interior wall of the protecting cap 27 on line with top 3'7 at its upper exposed end for resting upon the top of the cap 27 whereby the plunger 32may be readily turned, causing it to unlock and be raised, or pushed upward-by action of spring 28, when it may be manipulated by alternating pressure, and release, up and down in the cap 2'7.

Bayonet slots 38 are formed in the plunger for receiving a pin 39 extending diametrically through the cap 27, as shown in Figure 4.

In the operation of the device,; the parts arenormally in the position shown in Figure 2 with the plunger 32 locked in the inner position by reason or the angular portions of the bayonet slots 38 engaging the cross pin 39. This condition is achieved by forcing the plunger 32 inwardly with respect to the cap 27 and then rotating same by turning the rim 3'? in a clock-wise direction. i

When the pen is to be filled, the plunger 32 is rotated in the reverse direction whereby the slots 38 are brought to the position shown in Figure 3 with reference to the cross pin 39. The leaf spring 28, acting within the annular groove 33 and also on the recessed place within the base of V the plunger 32, automatically projects the plunger upwardly and outwardly and allows the rubber nipple 19 to expand. As the nipple is expanded, it will tend to create a partial vacuum within the same, raising the pellet valve 23 against the open end 21 of the tube 1'7, andjpreventing atmospheric air from being sucked through the tube 17 into the interior space of the nipple 10; but requiring that air from the interior or ink space of the barrel 8 be drawn up through the port'25 and chamber 22 into the bulb space, thus tending to expel the air from'the ink space of the barrel 8, such that the pen'point and nib being immersed in a bathof ink, such ink will be drawn into the ink space of the barrel 8 through the opening 11 and passage 12.

When the plunger 32" is on the next stroke forced inwardly (downwardl-due tobase of the spring being engaged in the annular groove 33,,and the upper end 31 pressed upwardlyand laterally within the recess 34-the leaf. of the spring 28 is arched inwardly, and, depending upon its flexibility, partially or wholly collapses the bulb or nipple 19 thus driving the air out of the same, first causing the pellet valve to be reseated againstits seat 24. v

The air from the interior of the bulb will thus not be permittedto'be-forced back through the barrel 8, but will be driven out through the now open end 21 of the tube 17jand into the atmosphere at and about the pen plug 9. These manipulations of the plunger32 are repeated as many times as maybe required to draw in a sufiicient charge-of ink from a well or bath. The same alternating depressingand releasing of the plunger 32 will cause the barrel to empty when the nib and point are held out of the fluid container.

The device is. constructed so as to. be readily takenapart andreassembled' after cleaning or protective cap 27 a plunger the replacement of parts. A rivet, such as shown at 40 in Figure 6, is adapted to hold the cap 27 in place and with it the entire assembly. This rivet can be readily knocked out to permit of the lifting oh of the cap 27 with the other parts of the manipulating device.

Referring more particularly to Figure 9, the plunger in this case is devoid of bayonet slots and the pin 39 is not needed. However a small screw or other cap .51 is placedover the plunger, such cap being threaded, as indicated at 52, to the The plunger is made in two parts, a core member 53 and a shell member 54. Both'members are flanged as indicated at 55 and 56. These members may be simply loosely telescoped or if desired secured together after being interfitted.

Inasmuch as the spring will force both mem bers upwardly to the position indicated in Figure 9 it is not essential that the members be secured together. The shell member is onlyneeded for depressing the core member. Inthis case the plunger is always unlocked and ready to be manipulated whenever the cap 51 is removed.

It is obvious that various'changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only bythe scope of the following claims:

What is claimed is:-

1. In a fountain pen wherein the barrel forms the rese'rvoirand having ink suction and expelling means including a collapsible nipple, a manipulating device for the nipple comprising a cap fitted to the fountain pen and over the nipple, the end of said cap being closed and provided with a centrally disposed opening of less diameter than the inner diameter of the body of the cap, a spring armjin the cap crimped near the top to provide a long leg and a short leg and a V-shaped fulcrum, the fulcrum adapted to bear on the wall of the opening in the cap in the extended position of the spring arm, and a plunger disposed for reciprocating motion through the opening in the cap and provided at its inner end with a recess-adapted to receive the upper end of the spring arm. i I

2. In a fountain pen having ink suction and expelling means including a collapsible nipple, a manipulating device for the nipple comprising a cap fitted to the fountain pen and over the nipple, the end being closed and provided with a centrally disposed opening of less diameter than the inner diameter of the body of the cap, a spring arm in the cap crimped near the top to provide a long leg and a short leg and a Veshaped fulcrum, disposed for reciprocating motion through the opening in the cap and provided at its inner end with a-recess adapted to receive the upper end or" the spring arm, said plunger having in the body thereof a bayonet slot, and a pin passing transversely through the upper end of the cap and through the bayonet slot limiting the Withdrawal of the plunger to maintain a slight bow in the spring and providing means for looking theplunger in depressed position.

GEORGE HOWARD OSTERHOUT. 

